Bali is one of the famous tourist destinations in the world. Tourists from both domestic and international locations come to visit Bali. There are many reasons why people want to travel here, especially Australians. More than 300,000 Australians visit Bali each year, making Australians the largest group of foreign tourists to Bali. So, what causes many Australians to vacation in Bali? Here are some reasons why Australians love Bali as a holiday destination.
1. Friendly People
Indonesia is known as a friendly nation in the eyes of the world. This also applies to Bali, which is included in Indonesia. Balinese people are famous for their warm, friendly, open, and smiling nature towards newcomers. This Balinese habit is one of the reasons Bali tourism is so famous among tourists.
Balinese people will not hesitate to smile at tourists. So, tourists feel comfortable and welcomed. Even though the tourists show annoyed and irritated faces, the Balinese people remain smiling and welcome the tourists with patience. They never seem to be in a bad mood.
Balinese people are known to have a polite and smooth tone of voice. Not only that, they also do not hesitate to help if a tourist is feeling confused or having difficulty.
2. Close Distance
Australia is the country with the most tourists visiting Bali. From a geographical perspective, Australia and Indonesia are quite close. Traveling to Bali is also easier to reach and takes quite a short time. Australians only need to take a plane for around 4 hours to get to Bali. There are also quite a lot of airline choices and there are always flight schedules every day. This close distance makes Bali like a paradise to “escape” from busy routines.
3. Main Goal “Relax”
In Australia, there was once a reality show showing the lives of Australian tourists in Bali. They did activities such as swimming, relaxing, and returning to the hotel. And so on. From there, many people think that Bali is a famous tourist spot that is best for lazing around or enjoying relaxing time. Not only that, there are also quite a lot of advertisements or TV shows showing Bali in Australia.
4. Rich of Culture
Bali has a lot of fascinating artistic and cultural riches. Starting from dance, carving, and others. This art and culture is thought to have existed since the kingdom era and still survives today. Not a few Balinese people are involved in various artistic professions, such as painters, dancers, craftsmen, players of traditional musical instruments, sculptors, designers, and others. Due to the habit of maintaining culture and art, tourists can also easily shop for various handicrafts.
Starting from simple wooden key chains to high-end products with high value. Not only that, tourists, both local and international, can find various art galleries, murals, statues, and traditional art products.
Apart from that, you as a visitor can also enjoy various dance performances and gamelan music in various corners of the island. Then, there are also customs. For this, there are various customs that are still maintained. First, Pawiwahan which is a traditional Hindu wedding tradition. Second, Ngaben is a death ritual in the form of burning a corpse.
Third, Mepandes or Metatah. This means the ceremony of cutting or filing teeth for teenagers who reach adulthood with the aim of eliminating the wild nature within them. Fourth, the Trunyan Village Cemetery involves placing the bodies on the ground around the taru menyan tree without cremation or burial.
Fifth is Ngerebong. This means that the tradition of mass possession every six months is marked by screaming, crying, dancing, and even dangerous scenes involving using a keris to stab the neck, chest, and crown. Sixth, Melukat, namely spiritual cleansing of oneself and soul. This variety of beauty and uniqueness makes many foreign tourists visit to enjoy Balinese art and culture.
5. The Cheap Costs
For foreign visitors, the cost of living in Bali can be said to be quite reasonable. One of them is in terms of food. Moreover, there are many healthy food choices that are easily available to foreign tourists there. Colin Barnett, Head of the State of Western Australia (in GoodStats) said that by only bringing 2000 dollars (Rp. 20,830,760.00 or $1,343.08 (USD)), Australians can have a luxurious holiday in Bali.
With the same budget, there is not too much they could do in Perth. Foreign tourists, especially Australians, are becoming more at home and happy to enjoy going on holiday to Bali for a long period of time.
6. Delicious Culinary
Bali also has many delicious culinary delights that are loved by foreign tourists. First, there is Balinese Mixed Rice. As the name suggests, mixed rice is basically rice with various side dishes and vegetables. Second, there is Ayam Betutu which is a typical culinary dish from Gilimanuk. The filling is chicken cooked with spicy spices for a long time. So, it produces a tender and spicy chicken dish. This food is one that you really should not miss when on holiday to Bali, especially if you really like spicy food.
Even though it originally comes from Gilimanuk, you can find Batutu Chicken in many places on the island of Bali, especially in tourist areas such as South Bali. The next typical Balinese food is Sate Lilit. Sate Lilit is quite a unique food. This is because the meat used will be chopped first. Then, it is wrapped around a skewer made of bamboo sticks or lemongrass leaves. You can easily find Sate Lilit at mixed rice stalls.
7. Varied Tourist Destinations
As an island surrounded by the sea, Bali has quite a number of tourist destinations. There are beautiful beaches with white sand. The waves are also suitable for those who want to try surfing. Not only that, there are natural attractions in the mountains and surrounding villages that offer various beautiful places. In Bali, there are many other types of entertainment venues, such as water parks, beach pools, and more. Some popular tourist spots in Bali include Tanah Lot, Kuta Beach, Mount Batur, Uluwatu Temple, Ubud Monkey Forest, Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Nusa Dua Beach, Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, and Nusa Ceningan.
8. Natural Beauty
In the explanation above, it has been explained that there are natural attractions in Bali such as mountains and villages. For mountains, especially Mount Batur, you can enjoy its beauty by climbing. Usually, people climb to see the sunrise. However, you must be careful if you want to climb the mountain. This is because this mountain is an active volcano that has experienced several eruptions. Apart from mountains, foreign tourists are also interested in the terracing system in Bali, especially in rural areas. So, there are many similar places that are targeted by photographers.
With its natural, cultural, culinary, geographical, and good nature tourism, Bali is a suitable place for those of you who want to travel. These things are also the right reasons why many Australians want to vacation in Bali.
